There are many thousands of underwater drilling sites. It is incontestable that well blowouts occur and when they do, not only is the oil and/or gas that is released not captured for sale and ultimately for use by a consumer, the escaped petrochemicals contaminate the environment. The companies responsible not only lose revenue, they often incur tremendous expenses for cleanup plus fines plus potentially catastrophic reputational damage.
While it is clearly desirable that underwater oil well leaks be prevented, it seems pretty clear that they cannot be avoided entirely. However, in accordance with the present invention, steps can be taken in advance to insure that any leaks will be contained, and thus the loss of valuable petrochemicals and the consequent environmental damage and all the costs these things imply can be prevented.